Turkey's Erdogan says birth control 'treason' against Turkish lineage

ISTANBUL, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip
Erdogan has described birth control as a form of "treason,"
saying it threatened the country's bloodline.

Erdogan urged a newly married couple at their wedding late
on Sunday to have at least three children to help boost Turkish
population figures, a common refrain from the president, who
worries a declining birth rate may undermine economic growth.

"For years they committed a treason of birth control in this
country, seeking to dry up our bloodline. Lineage is very
important both economically and spiritually," he told the couple
after serving as their witness at the wedding. A video of the
speech was posted on the mainstream Radikal news website.

Last month, Erdogan, a devout Muslim, said it was unnatural
to consider women and men equal and said feminists did not
understand the importance of motherhood. In
2012, he sought to effectively outlaw abortion, but later
dropped the plan amid a public outcry.

Erdogan regularly faces criticism for an authoritarian style
of rule after 11 years in power.

Turkey's population growth has been slowing in recent years
and the live-birth rate hovered at 2.07 percent last year,
according to official statistics.
(Reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley; Editing by Dominic Evans)